Gary Autry Moore Jr., known simply as G. A. Moore, is a retired
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
. He retired after completing the 2011 season with a career head coaching record of 422–86–9,
which at the time was the most in Texas high school football history. Moore's win total was passed on November 3, 2016, by
Phil Danaher of
Calallen High School
Calallen High School is a public high school serving grades 9–12. The school is located in the Calallen Independent School District in northwest Corpus Christi, Texas, United States.
Background
Calallen's name comes from Calvin Joseph (Cal) ...
in
Corpus Christi, Texas.
Playing career
Moore attended
Pilot Point High School (
Pilot Point, Texas
Pilot Point is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,856 at the 2010 census, increasing to 4,381 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Pilot Point is located at (33.396350, –96.958719). According to the United States Cens ...
) and was a four-year letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was named to the All-State first team in football and basketball. Moore won eight combined championships for Celina and Pilot Point. Moore went on to play
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
at the
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...
in
Denton, Texas
Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...
. He graduated from North Texas in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Coaching career
Moore started his coaching career as the head coach of
Bryson High School. Prior to Moore's arrival, Bryson was on a 21-game losing streak. Under Moore, Bryson went 5-5. The following year, Moore left to become the head coach at his alma mater, Pilot Point. After suffering six consecutive losing seasons, Moore got them to be one of the better
2A teams in the state.
Moore took a hiatus from coaching from 1970-1972. He accepted the head coaching job at
Celina High School. In the next five years he went 52–5–2 where he won his first State Championship in 1974. Moore left in 1977 to return to Pilot Point as head coach. Pilot Point was 1-9 the year prior to Moore's return. During his second stint, the Bearcats were 106-9-3 with back to back state championships in 1980 and 1981.
In 1986, Moore left to take the head coaching job at
Sherman High School. Sherman was 0-10 the previous year. Moore turned them into a 6-4 team his first year and was named the Dallas Area Coach of the Year. His head coaching job at Sherman lasted only two years before leaving to go back to Celina as the head coach. Celina became district champions in his first year back after not winning a district title in over 10 years. They finished as state-semifinalists that same year. During the next 14 years, Moore went 163-22. Celina won five State Championships including sharing a state record four in a row with
Sealy High School
Sealy High School (SHS) is a public high school located in the city of Sealy, Texas, in Austin County, United States and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Sealy Independent School District. A new, multimillion-dollar camp ...
. When Moore left Celina in 2001, he had a 57-game winning streak.
Moore became the head coach once again at Pilot Point. He returned them to winning status with playoff appearances in both seasons. He retired in 2004 before coming out of retirement in 2009 to take the head coaching job at
Aubrey High School
Aubrey High School is a public high school located in the city of Aubrey, Texas, USA and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Aubrey Independent School District located in east central Denton County and serves students in Au ...
. Aubrey finished Moore's first season 11–2, winning a school record 11 games, with the losses coming to eventual undefeated state champion (as well as Moore's alma mater) Pilot Point in the final regular season game, and to then-undefeated McGregor in the third round of the 2A Division II playoffs. In 2011, Moore suffered his first losing season with a 1-11 finish. Moore retired again and has since stayed retired.
Personal life
Moore married fellow pilot point alum Lois Ann after they began dating while in college together. The couple have three daughters and one son. Moore's son, Gary Don, coached as an assistant for him while at Celina and Pilot Point. After Moore's first retirement, Gary Don moved onto become an assistant coach at Plano West and Plano East. Gary Don left coaching after being diagnosed with
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
. Around 2005, G. A. Moore was forced to retire due to lack of energy. He sought treatment for blockages in his heart by means of stents. He claims this has helped him return to normal. He now resides working on his 200 acre ranch outside of Pilot Point. Moore is a pastor at Pilot Point's Mustang Baptist Church.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, G. A.
1939 births
Living people
North Texas Mean Green football players
High school football coaches in Texas
People from Navarro County, Texas
People from Pilot Point, Texas
Players of American football from Texas